The air-cooled boxer engine, however, was still in the rear. This was actually a cause for concern and so the successor was planned with a front engine. After several failed projects, what was known as development order 272 was started around 1970: initially with a newly developed, transverse 4-cylinder in-line engine, which together with other Volkswagen models was meant to convey a family resemblance and fulfil the common parts strategy.
The vehicle was later called the Passat. At Audi, the focus was on the EA 838 with a longitudinally mounted 4-cylinder in-line engine developed in Ingolstadt. The concept car was originally somewhat smaller than the EA 272 and originally had a liftback. The new head of Volkswagen, Rudolf Leiding, ultimately discarded all parallel developments and made sure that engines and basic powertrain bodies came from Bavaria for the notchback Audi 80 from 1972 and the liftback Passat from 1973. The new compact cars Volkswagen was reluctant to enter the market segment below the Beetle. This was a complete contrast to the technicians and developers from NSU who were looking further to develop their small Prinz models. The new subsidiary, NSU, was successful with its two and four-cylinder Prinz cars, even though the air-cooled engine had also surpassed its zenith. Ultimately, the Wolfsburgers passed on the final order for the new compact cars to Ingolstadt. Claus Luthe, an Audi designer, was responsible for the design. From the very beginning, the project was intended for production in Wolfsburg. From 1974, the Audi 50 was produced in Lower Saxony and from 1975 the Polo also left the production line there.
Dreaming big In Wolfsburg, the dream early on was also for the brand to produce large, powerful automobiles – but Audi was quicker. They developed their own luxury vehicle, however, initially without approval from Wolfsburg.